Umbrella comprising an illumination device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an umbrella, in particular a hand-held umbrella, free-standing umbrella, or offset hanging umbrella for protection against the rain, or for use as a sunshade. Said umbrella comprises a canopy, a supporting construction for said canopy and an illumination unit that is allocated to the supporting construction. An aim of the invention is to provide the greatest possible protection for the illumination unit, whilst giving the umbrella a particularly aesthetic appearance. To achieve this, the invention is characterized in that the illumination unit of the supporting construction is essentially integrated into the umbrella.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation of International ApplicationNo. PCT/DE2006/000467, filed Mar. 15, 2006, and which designates theU.S. The disclosure of the referenced application is incorporated hereinby reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an umbrella, more preferably a hand-heldumbrella, free-standing umbrella, or offset hanging umbrella forprotection against the rain, or for use as a sunshade. Said umbrellacomprises a canopy, a supporting construction for said canopy and anillumination device that is allocated to the supporting construction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus of the mentioned type is known based on utility modelpatent application DE 298 11 817 U1. To improve the safety ofpedestrians in traffic, it proposes an umbrella for protection againstthe rain equipped with electrical light sources at the tip of some ofthe ribs supporting the covering of the umbrella. These light sourcesare intended to improve the visibility of pedestrians in traffic byemitting a blinking or permanent light, particularly at night and inpoor weather conditions.

Moreover, umbrellas for protection against the rain equipped withillumination devices are known from prior art, which are intended tohelp the user of the umbrella find his or her way thanks to theillumination of the immediate surroundings in particular at night and indifficult terrain. They are designed to prevent stumbling or accidentalfalls of the pedestrian. Said umbrellas for protection against the rainare equipped for example with commercially available light bulbs orfilament bulbs, attached to the outside of the supporting constructionof the umbrella.

Moreover, sunshades of the mentioned type are known from prior art.Especially large sunshades are used for example in the food and beverageindustry, usually placed on terraces or in beer gardens. At dusk or atnight, sunshades without illumination devices need to be folded closedto allow the illumination by existing external illumination devices orto be able to use the remaining sunlight at dusk. To make thecomplicated opening and closing of these sunshades several times a dayunnecessary, sunshades equipped with illumination devices are now beingoffered. Several powerful lights are attached for example to the shaftof the umbrella. These lights can be turned on and off by the staff ofthe gastronomic establishment as needed.

However, the type-defining umbrellas have a disadvantage that theillumination device is very susceptible to damage as a result of thedaily operation. Generally, the illumination device is attached to theshaft of the umbrella or to the supporting ribs of the canopy. Inparticular when the umbrella or the sunshade is folded open or closed,the illumination device can collide with other parts of the umbrella orits supporting construction, thus getting damaged ordestroyed—especially over the long-term.

It is common knowledge that—as articles of the daily use—both umbrellasas well as sunshades are not handled with particular care or treatedgently, but are exposed to major wear as a result of their intended useand storage. The illumination device attached to the type-definingumbrella pursuant to the state of the art can be quickly and seriouslydamaged as a result.

An additional disadvantage of the umbrella comprising an illuminationdevice known from prior art is the fact that the user perceives theillumination device as a highly disturbing foreign object within theotherwise familiar construction of the umbrella. The attachment ofillumination devices to the supporting construction of commerciallyavailable umbrellas makes an amateurish impression on the user andcreates an unfavorable aesthetical appearance. This unfavorableaesthetical appearance may have an especially negative impact if theilluminated umbrella is used in professional surroundings, such as forexample in the case of very large and cost-intensive sunshades used inthe food and beverage industry.

Therefore, an objective of the invention at hand is to develop andredesign an umbrella of the type mentioned above in such a way as toachieve the greatest possible protection for the illumination device,while giving the umbrella a particularly aesthetic appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Based on the present invention, the objective mentioned above and otherswill be solved with the characteristics described in patent claim 1.Based on it, an umbrella, in particular a hand-held umbrella,free-standing umbrella or offset hanging umbrella for protection againstthe rain or for use as a sunshade is characterized in that theillumination device of the supporting construction is essentiallyintegrated into the umbrella.

According to the present invention, it has been determined that theideal protection of the illumination device allocated to the umbrellafrom being damaged or destroyed can be achieved by partially orcompletely integrating the illumination device in the supportingconstruction of the umbrella.

The sensitive illumination device which can consist for example of lightbulbs, filament bulbs, light emitting diodes, etc., can be partially orcompletely “embedded” in the supporting construction of the umbrellaaccording to the present invention. To the extent a regularlyconstructed umbrella is used for this purpose, the illumination devicecan be integrated for example in the shaft, the hub or the holding orsupporting ribs of the umbrella.

The isolation of the illumination device from the surroundings achievedwith this encapsulation effectively prevents it from being damaged bythe opening and closing of the umbrella, by environmental influences orby influences which occur during the storage of the umbrella.

In addition, it has been determined according to the present inventionthat the integration of the illumination device within the supportingconstruction of the umbrella achieves a particularly beneficialaesthetic appearance. If the illumination device of the umbrella is notin operation, e.g. when daylight is available, the illumination deviceis not visible to the user of the umbrella or is vaguely discernible atbest.

On the other hand, if the illumination device is in operation, asuperior aesthetical impression of the complete umbrella is obtainedthanks to the encapsulation of the illumination device.

The invention effectively prevents the aesthetical appearance of aparticularly high-quality umbrella or sunshade from being seriouslydevaluated due to illumination devices that are attached to the outsideof the supporting construction, possibly in an amateurish manner.

Accordingly, the invention relates to an umbrella, in particular ahand-held umbrella, free-standing umbrella, or offset hanging umbrellafor protection against the rain, or for use as a sunshade in which thegreatest possible protection of the illumination device as well as aparticularly aesthetic appearance of the umbrella is achieved.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the umbrella according to theinvention comprises a supporting construction which is known fromcommercially available umbrellas or sunshades. This means that thesupporting construction is equipped with a shaft consisting of a fixedupper hub and a lower hub which is moveable along the shaft, where theupper hub contains several holding ribs connected to the canopy, whereseveral supporting ribs coupled with the holding ribs are connected tothe lower hub and where the canopy can be folded open and closed bymeans of the movement of the lower hub.

The canopy can be made for example of natural or synthetic fabric, whichcan be impregnated, if necessary. In addition, it is possible to use acompound material made of fabric and synthetic foil. The compoundmaterial can consist of several layers. Finally, it is also possible touse a cover made of pure synthetic fabric for the canopy.

The lower hub and the shaft in the area of the upper end position of thelower hub are generally designed in such a way as to allow the lower hubto lock into its upper end position with respect to the shaft.

In addition, the supporting construction can comprise a handle or a baseor similar at the lower end of the shaft. The umbrella according to theinvention can be designed similar to commercially available umbrellasand sunshades in this respect.

In a particularly preferred further development of the umbrellaaccording to the invention, the supporting construction integrates theillumination device in such a way that it is completely encapsulated andisolated from the surroundings. As a result, the illumination device isnot in direct contact with the surroundings, thereby providing aparticularly effective prevention of superficial wear of theillumination device. In other words: the illumination device iscompletely enclosed by the supporting construction in all directions,and as a result, it is ideally protected.

Preferably, the supporting construction is made of transparent ortranslucent material at least in the area of the illumination device. Ifthe illumination device is completely enclosed by the supportingconstruction as described above, the supporting construction must bedesigned in such a way at least in the area of the enclosed illuminationdevice that the light emitted by the illumination device can penetratethe supporting construction at least partially to allow the illuminationdevice to fulfill its purpose.

The achieved light efficiency is particularly high with the use oftransparent material above the supporting construction. In contrast, theuse of translucent material allows one to achieve light scatteringsimilar to the effect known from matte light bulbs or lamps comprisinglampshades. This allows the provision of a particularly comfortableillumination for the user. Moreover, the use of translucent materialallows the realization of color effects, namely, if the translucentmaterial is colored and the emitted light acts as a color filter. Inaddition, it is possible to provide various colors of the emitted lightwithin a single supporting construction, by using differently coloredtranslucent material in different areas of the supporting construction.

The translucent material can consist of synthetic material or glass orany other suitable material with translucent properties. Based on priorart, a large number of different materials are known in this respect.

The translucent materials known from prior art can consist of any colorand/or shade or light permeability. This allows the achievement ofinteresting color and light effects with the umbrella according to theinvention which are suitable for the respective situation.

In an additional embodiment of the umbrella according to the invention,the color and/or intensity of the emitted light can be changed by theuser. The intensity of the emitted light can be changed for example inthat the user is provided with a dimming function for the illuminationdevice. Said dimming function can be realized particularly well withcommercially available light bulbs. If the illumination device consistsof illumination elements which are undimmable due to their function, theintensity of the emitted light can be controlled by turning a larger orsmaller number of the illumination elements which form the illuminationdevice on or off, depending on the requirements.

The color of the emitted light can be changed by turning illuminationelements with different colors on or off as needed. For this purpose,the illumination device can consist of illumination elements which eachemit one of the complementary colors. Any color of the emitted light canbe provided by selectively turning on and off certain illuminationelements.

In another embodiment of the umbrella according to the invention, theillumination device within the supporting construction can be surroundedby a color filter, for example shaped like a cylinder, which is equippedwith differently colored segments. By rotating or otherwise changing theposition of the color filter within the supporting construction, thecolor of the emitted light changes depending on the user's selection.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the umbrella according to theinvention, the upper hub and/or lower hub is at least partially made oftransparent or translucent material and at least partially integratesthe illumination device. This embodiment of the umbrella according tothe invention allows the achievement of a particularly uniform lightdistribution, in particular if the illumination device is designedring-like within the hub. For this purpose, several illuminationelements with a defined distance between them can form a circle aroundthe shaft of the umbrella. The area underneath the umbrella isparticularly well lit by the reflection or diffusion of the emittedlight through the canopy. In addition, the power supply of theillumination device is easier thanks to the small distance from theshaft of the umbrella.

In addition or alternatively to the further development mentioned last,the umbrella can be equipped in such a way that one or a plurality ofholding ribs and/or one or a plurality of supporting ribs are at leastpartially made of transparent or translucent material and at leastpartially integrate the illumination device. The integration of theillumination device within transparent or translucent supporting ribsensures the optimal protection of the illumination device from beingdamaged. Moreover, the locally oriented illumination device is capableof realizing a particularly good illumination, including the arealocated outside the umbrella.

The supporting and holding ribs can have a square profile, with theillumination device integrated within them. For example, theillumination device can be arranged on a conducting rod or metal strip,inserted and fixed in the supporting and holding ribs when they aremanufactured. To avoid a repetition, please refer to the statementsabove with respect to the materials and design options of the hubs, aswell as the supporting or holding ribs.

Generally, an embodiment of the invention is preferred, in which theillumination device is equipped with one or a plurality of illuminationelements. This generally allows the illumination of a larger area.Several illumination elements can be distributed locally in thesupporting construction of the umbrella to ensure the uniform andextensive illumination. However, it is also possible to use a singleillumination element as illumination device. For example, a circularneon tube can be integrated within a transparent or translucent hub ofthe umbrella as it is known from prior art.

The illumination elements can consist of filament bulbs, light bulbsand/or light emitting diodes (LEDs). Filament bulbs or light bulbs havethe advantage that they emit a light that is perceived particularlycomfortable by the user. However, as is generally known, the powerconsumption of light bulbs or filament bulbs is high compared to theemitted luminous power. Light emitting diodes have the advantage thatthey only take up a very small space within the supporting constructionof the umbrella. In addition, the heat output of light emitting diodesis very small because a major share of the collected power istransformed into luminous power. Therefore, compared to light bulbs,light emitting diodes generally require much less power. Thanks to thesmall size of light emitting diodes, a particularly large number oflight emitting diodes can be integrated within the supportingconstruction of the umbrella according to the invention. Moreover, amultitude of light effects can be realized with differently coloredlight emitting diodes. The luminous power can be controlled byselectively turning light emitting diodes on and off, whereby the powerconsumption of the illumination device can be minimized as well. Theminimization of the power consumption is particularly important forumbrellas carried by the user, such as hand-held umbrellas forprotection against the rain or sun.

The illumination device is generally equipped with an electrical circuitused to connect the illumination device to a power source. Theelectrical circuit can consist of wires, cables or conductive stripswith the illumination elements arranged on them.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the umbrella according to theinvention, the electrical circuit is integrated within the supportingconstruction. As a result, the electrical circuit is not visible fromthe outside and safely protected from being damaged. In case the circuitis required to bridge two mobile parts of the supporting constructionwhich are coupled to one another, a conductive joint or hinge can beprovided. Moreover, it is possible to arrange a piece of cable in such away that it runs along the outside of the joint one wishes to bridge,thereby bypassing it.

In a further development of the umbrella according to the invention, theillumination device can be supplied with power by means of a battery orrechargeable battery pack, external solar cells or solar cells mountedon the canopy or by means of a power outlet or receptacle (via insertedrectifier, if necessary). If the umbrella according to the invention isequipped with several types of power supplies based on the user'sselection, the user can select among them depending on the availablepower supply and switch for example from battery or rechargeable batteryoperation to operation using a power outlet or receptacle.

In a preferable embodiment, the rechargeable battery pack can be chargedvia solar cells and/or via a power outlet or receptacle. This way, anumbrella that is for example carried by a user, such as an umbrella forprotection from the rain, can be recharged via a power outlet orreceptacle in the residence of the user while he or she stays there. Ifthe umbrella is needed, it is available fully charged. A sunshadeaccording to the invention equipped with a solar cell mounted on thecanopy or for example on the upper hub can be used to charge therechargeable battery pack during daylight. If the illumination of theumbrella is required in the evening or at night, a fully chargedrechargeable battery is available.

The battery or rechargeable battery pack can be integrated within theshaft, the handle or the base, depending on the preferred design of theumbrella according to the invention and depending on the type ofumbrella one wishes to use.

In an alternative embodiment, the battery or rechargeable battery packcan be fully enclosed and attached on the outside of the shaft so thatit can be detached. In this embodiment of the umbrella according to theinvention, it is particularly easy to replace the battery orrechargeable battery pack with a new or charged battery or rechargeablebattery pack, if it has been used for so long that it is unable toprovide any more energy.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the umbrella according to theinvention, the illumination device can be activated by folding open thecanopy. In other words, the illumination device is activated by means ofa suitably designed contact which is triggered when the canopy is foldedopen. This way, the hand or foot switch or a remote control to activatethe illumination device is not required.

Preferably, the illumination device is activated when the lower hub ismoved into its upper end position with respect to the shaft. For thispurpose, a switch can be provided for example at the outside of theshaft, which is automatically operated by the lower hub as soon as it isbrought into its upper end position with respect to the shaft. The upperend position of the lower hub is deemed taken when the canopy iscompletely folded open.

In another preferable instance, the transition between the shaft and thelower hub in the area of its upper end position is itself designed as anelectrical switch which can be closed by moving the lower hub into itsupper end position. The illumination device is automatically activatedin that an electrically conductive contact is created between the huband the electrical circuit arranged in the shaft in the area of the endposition of the hub. The electrical circuit for the illumination deviceis thereby closed. The electrical circuit is automatically re-opened ifthe hub is removed from its upper end position or if one wishes to closethe canopy.

In an alternative embodiment of the umbrella according to the invention,the automatic activation of the illumination device based on the openingof the canopy is not required. In this case, a hand or foot switch isintegrated in the supporting construction which can be used at thechoice of the user to activate the illumination device. This embodimentof the umbrella according to the invention is preferable in case theautomatic activation of the illumination device with open canopy doesnot appear to be desirable. For example, for reasons of saving energy,it can appear to be rather worthwhile that the illumination device isexclusively activated and deactivated based on the user's choice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The inventive device will be described in more detail hereinbelow withthe aid of an exemplary embodiment of the inventive apparatus, withreference to the accompanying drawings. The inventive device will bedescribed in more detail hereinbelow with the aid of an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive apparatus, with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the umbrella according to one embodiment ofthe invention comprising an illumination device, which has been designedas a free-standing umbrella in this case;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of the umbrellaaccording to the invention, where the umbrella has been designed as aoffset hanging umbrella;

FIG. 3 shows a partial view in cross-section of the supportingconstruction of the umbrella according to the embodiment of theinvention shown in FIG. 1, where part of the shaft as well as the lowerhub of the supporting construction arranged in a moveable manner on theshaft are displayed, where the lower hub is designed in such a way thatthe illumination elements of the illumination device are partiallyencapsulated and where the lower hub is additionally designed in such away that the illumination device can be activated automatically bymoving the lower hub into its upper end position;

FIG. 4 shows a partial view in cross-section of the supportingconstruction of another embodiment of the umbrella according to theinvention, where contrary to FIG. 3 the lower hub of the supportingconstruction in this embodiment of the invention is designed in such away that the illumination elements of the illumination device areintegrated completely isolated from the surroundings, where at least theunderside of the lower hub is made of transparent or translucentmaterial;

FIG. 5 shows a partial view in cross-section of the supportingconstruction of an additional embodiment of the umbrella according tothe invention, where the illumination elements of the illuminationdevice are completely isolated from the surroundings throughencapsulation into the supporting ribs of the supporting construction,while no illumination elements are integrated in the lower hub shown inthis embodiment, where the lower hub is designed similar to FIG. 3 orFIG. 4 in such a way that the illumination device can be activatedautomatically by moving the lower hub into its upper end position; and

FIG. 6 shows a side view along the longitudinal axis of a supporting orholding rib, for example in an embodiment according to FIG. 5, where theillumination elements of the illumination device are completely isolatedfrom the surroundings through encapsulation into the supporting/holdingrib, and where the supporting or holding rib is at least partially madeof transparent or translucent material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows the first embodiment of the umbrella according to theinvention. The umbrella has been designed as a stand-alone umbrella andis usually used as a sunshade. The umbrella includes a canopy 1 and asupporting construction 2 for the canopy 1. Moreover, the umbrella isequipped with an illumination device 3, which is indicated by the raysof the emitted light.

The supporting construction 2 consists of a shaft 4 with a fixed upperhub 5 and a lower hub 6 which can be moved along the shaft. Severalholding ribs 7 connected to the canopy 1 are attached to the upper hub5. Several supporting ribs 8 coupled with the holding ribs 7 areattached to the lower hub 6. As mentioned, the canopy 1 can be foldedopen and closed by moving the lower hub 6 along the shaft 4.

The lower end of the shaft 4 is connected to a base 9 which is onlyadumbrated here. The connection between the shaft 4 and the base 9 isrealized with a clamp 10.

In this embodiment of the umbrella according to the invention, theillumination device 3 is supplied with power by means of abattery/rechargeable battery back 11. The battery/rechargeable batterypack 11 is attached at the outside of the shaft 4 by means of adetachable holder 12. In addition, the umbrella includes a solar cell 13mounted on the upper hub 5 used to supply the illumination device 3 orthe battery/rechargeable battery pack 11 with power. Optionally, thesolar cell 13 can also be mounted on the canopy 1. In addition, it ispossible to integrate the battery/rechargeable battery pack 11 withinthe shaft 4 or within the base 9.

In the illustrated embodiment, the illumination device 3 is integratedwithin the upper hub 5, the lower hub 6, the holding ribs 7 as well asthe supporting ribs 8. The illumination device is completely isolatedfrom the surroundings through encapsulation by the components mentionedabove. For this purpose, the components are at least partially made oftransparent or translucent material. However, it is equally possiblethat the illumination device 3 is only partially integrated within thementioned components. In this type of embodiment, the transparent ortranslucent material may not be necessary.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of another embodiment of the umbrella accordingto the invention, designed as a offset hanging umbrella in this example.The base 9 of the offset hanging umbrella is located outside of theextension of the connection between the upper hub 5 and the lower hub 6.Moreover, the umbrella comprises two shafts 4. In this embodiment, thebattery/rechargeable battery pack 11 is attached to one of thesupporting ribs 8. Again, the illumination device 3 is completelyisolated from the surroundings through encapsulation by the upper hub 5,the lower hub 6, the holding ribs 7 and the supporting ribs 8. To avoida repetition, please refer to the description of the figure under FIG.1.

FIG. 3 shows a partial view in cross-section of the supportingconstruction 2 of an umbrella according to the invention which isdesigned identical to the umbrella described in FIG. 1 with respect tothe construction. The canopy 1 (not shown) is supported by a centralshaft 4. Also shown is the lower hub 6 arranged on the shaft 4 in amoveable manner, with the supporting ribs 8 attached to it. In thisembodiment, the illumination device 3 is partially isolated from thesurroundings through encapsulation by the lower hub 6. The illuminationdevice 3 consists of several illumination devices 14, arranged in acircular manner within the lower hub 6. The underside of the lower hub 6is equipped with openings for the illumination elements 14. As a result,the illumination elements 14 only contact the surroundings with a verysmall part of their surface, thus effectively protecting them from beingdamaged. Moreover, the illumination device 3 is hardly noticed by theuser thanks to the partial encapsulation.

An electrical circuit 15 is provided to supply the illumination device 3with power. The electrical circuit 15 is made of suitable conductivematerials. In the embodiment shown, the electrical circuit 15 issupplied with power at the lower end of the shaft 4, for example via abattery/rechargeable battery pack 11 (not shown). The electrical circuit15 extends from the lower end of the shaft 4 within the shaft 4 to thespring 16, which is made of electrically conductive material. The partof the electrical circuit 15 arranged within the shaft 4 ends in thespring 16 made of electrically conductive material. The spring 16 isisolated from the outside of the shaft 4; however, it can be used tocreate an electrically conductive connection through the wall of theshaft 4.

The electrical circuit 15 arranged within the lower hub 6 is designed insuch a way that it automatically creates an electrically conductiveconnection with the spring 16 if the lower hub 6 is in the upper endposition with respect to the shaft 4.

With this construction, the illumination device 3 is always activatedwhen the canopy 1 is folded open.

Alternatively, it goes without saying that the illumination device 3 canbe activated manually by means of a hand or foot switch which can beintegrated in any position.

FIG. 4 shows a partial view in cross-section of the supportingconstruction of the umbrella according to the invention according toFIG. 3, where the illumination elements 14 of this embodiment arecompletely integrated in the lower hub 6. As a result, the illuminationelements 14 of the illumination device 3 are completely isolated fromthe surroundings through encapsulation. The illumination elements 14 arearranged within the lower hub 6 on the electrical circuit 15. For thispurpose, the electrical circuit 15 has been integrated as a holder andsimultaneously as an electrical conductor in a circular fashion withinthe lower hub 6. To allow the emission of light from the lower hub 6,the lower hub 6 is at least partially made of transparent or translucentmaterial. For this purpose, the lower hub 6 can be at least partiallymade of synthetic material, glass or any other suitable material.

The complete encapsulation of the illumination elements 14 within thelower hub 6 practically prevents the illumination elements 14 from beingdamaged during the use, transport or storage of the umbrella accordingto the invention. In addition, the illumination elements 14 are hardlydiscernible from the outside, particularly not when the illuminationdevice 3 is in use. The illumination devices 14 can consist of lightbulbs; however, in the embodiment shown the illumination elements 14consist of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

FIG. 5 shows a partial view in cross-section of the supportingconstruction 2 of an umbrella according to the invention according toFIG. 1. Contrary to the embodiments described in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, theillumination elements 14 are not arranged within the lower hub 6 here,but are completely encapsulated by the supporting ribs 8. For thispurpose, the supporting rib 8 is connected to the electrical circuit 15which is supplied with power starting from the lower end of the shaft 4as described above. This embodiment of the umbrella according to theinvention is also equipped with the automatic activation of theillumination device 3 as soon as the lower hub 6 takes its upper endposition with respect to the shaft 4. This automatic activation isdescribed in detail above.

The supporting rib 8 shown preferably consists of a rectangularcross-section and is at least partially made of transparent ortranslucent material. A longitudinal holder for the illuminationelements 14 is arranged in the supporting rib 8. The illuminationelements 14 are arranged on this holder, separated from one another andconnected to a power supply through the electrical circuit 15 integratedwithin the holder. The power supply is not shown in detail.

The illumination elements 14 consist of light emitting diodes. The lightemitting diodes can have different colors and/or light intensities.Naturally, light bulbs or filament bulbs can be used instead of lightemitting diodes.

The figure does not show the holding ribs 7 of the umbrella according tothe invention. These holding ribs 7 can be designed according to thesupporting ribs 8 shown and be electrically connected, thus allowingthem to feed part of the illumination device 3. The simultaneousillumination of the holding ribs 7 and the supporting ribs 8 is shown inFIG. 1.

Naturally, an illuminated lower hub 6 pursuant to FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 canbe combined with an illuminated upper hub 5 and additionally withilluminated holding ribs 7 and/or supporting ribs 8, depending on thedesired illumination intensity and depending on the size of the area onewishes to illuminate. An umbrella with integrated illumination device 3pursuant to FIG. 1 can be provided this way.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the supporting rib 8 from FIG. 5, where thecutting plane is arranged vertically with respect to the longitudinalaxis of the supporting rib 8. The supporting rib 8 consists of a hollowprofile with rectangular cross-section, where the edges of the profileare rounded. However, the profile can have any other shape, such as anoval or circular cross-section.

Four slots 17 are arranged within the profile in a longitudinaldirection, where two slots each are arranged pair-wise across from oneanother in the upper and lower area. A longitudinal holder for theillumination elements 14 is inserted into a pair of slots. Said holderis integrated in the electrical circuit 15 for the illumination elements14. The illumination elements 14 are arranged on the holder or theelectrical circuit 15.

Because the illumination elements 14 are completely encapsulated by thesupporting rib 8, the supporting rib 8 is at least partially made oftransparent or translucent material. Depending on the intendedillumination result, the holder for the illumination elements 14 whichis integrated in the electrical circuit 15 can be made of transparent,translucent or non-transparent material.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the supporting rib 8 is made ofsynthetic material. However, the supporting rib 8 can be made of anyother suitable material, such as glass.

When the supporting rib 8 is produced, the profile with the two pairs ofslots is made first. Then the longitudinal holder with the illuminationelements 14 arranged on the holder is inserted into a pair of slots. Thesupporting rib 8 can then be installed into the supporting construction2 of the umbrella.

If a different direction of the light emission is desired, for exampleif one wishes to illuminate the canopy 1 instead of the floor, theholder with the illumination elements 14 can be mounted on the otherpair of slots, thereby resulting in an opposite direction of theillumination.

Naturally, the construction shown here can be used both as supportingrib 8 as well as holding rib 7 and was only shown here as an examplebased on the supporting rib 8 shown in FIG. 5.

We would like to refer to FIG. 1 again, which shows an umbrellaaccording to the invention, containing both illuminated holding ribs 7as well as illuminated supporting ribs 8. In it, the design of theholding ribs 7 and the supporting ribs 8 corresponds to the constructionshown in FIG. 6

Finally, we would like to emphasize that the exemplary embodimentsdescribed above are discussing the teachings according to the claim,without limiting them to the exemplary embodiments.

1. An umbrella, in particular a hand-held umbrella, free-standingumbrella, or offset hanging umbrella, for protection against the rain orfor use as a sunshade, comprising: a canopy, a supporting constructionfor the canopy, and an illumination device that is allocated to thesupporting construction, wherein the illumination device of thesupporting construction is essentially integrated into the umbrella. 2.The umbrella according to claim 1, wherein the supporting constructioncontains a shaft with a fixed upper hub and a lower hub which can bemoved along the shaft, where several holding ribs connected to thecanopy are attached to the upper hub, where several supporting ribscoupled with the holding ribs are attached to the lower hub, and wherethe canopy can be folded open and closed by moving the lower hub.
 3. Theumbrella according to claim 2, wherein the supporting constructioncomprises a handle or base or similar device at the lower end of theshaft.
 4. The umbrella according to claim 1, wherein the supportingconstruction encapsulates the illumination device in such a way that itis isolated from the surroundings.
 5. The umbrella according to claim 1,wherein the supporting construction is made of trans-parent ortranslucent material at least in an area of the illumination device. 6.The umbrella according to claim 5, wherein the transparent ortranslucent material comprises synthetic material or glass.
 7. Theumbrella according to claim 5, wherein translucent material withdifferent colors or a different degree of shading can be used.
 8. Theumbrella according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a color or anintensity of emitted light can be changed by a user.
 9. The umbrellaaccording to claim 2, wherein at least one of the upper hub or the lowerhub at least partially comprises transparent or translucent material andat least partially integrates the illumination device.
 10. The umbrellaaccording to claim 2, wherein at least one of the holding ribs at leastpartially comprises transparent or translucent material and at leastpartially integrates the illumination device.
 11. The umbrella accordingto claim 2, wherein at least one of the supporting ribs at leastpartially comprises transparent or translucent material and at leastpartially integrates the illumination device.
 12. The umbrella accordingto claim 1, wherein the illumination device comprises one or moreillumination elements.
 13. The umbrella according to claim 12, whereinat least one of the one or more illumination elements comprises afilament bulb or a light emitting diode.
 14. The umbrella according toclaim 1, wherein the illumination device comprises an electricalcircuit.
 15. The umbrella according to claim 14, wherein the electricalcircuit is arranged within the supporting construction.
 16. The umbrellaaccording to claim 1, wherein the illumination device can be charged byone of the group consisting of: battery, rechargeable battery pack,external solar cells, solar cells mounted on the canopy, a power outletor receptacle, a power outlet or receptacle via an inserted rectifier,or combinations thereof.
 17. The umbrella according to claim 16, whereinthe rechargeable battery pack can be charged via at least one of solarcells or a power outlet or receptacle.
 18. The umbrella according toclaim 16, wherein a battery or rechargeable battery pack is arrangedwithin one of the shaft, the handle or the base.
 19. The umbrellaaccording to claim 16, wherein a battery or rechargeable battery pack isencapsulated and attached at the outside of the shaft so that it can bedetached.
 20. The umbrella according to claim 1, wherein theillumination device can be activated by folding open the canopy.
 21. Theumbrella according to claim 2, wherein the illumination device can beactivated by moving the lower hub into its upper end position withrespect to the shaft.
 22. The umbrella according to claim 21, whereinthe transition between the shaft and the lower hub is designed as anelectrical switch in an area of the upper end position, which islockable by moving the lower hub into its upper end position, wherebythe illumination device can be activated.
 23. The umbrella according toclaim 1, wherein the illumination device can be activated by a hand orfoot switch integrated within the supporting construction.